Kado Tamanegi Santaro onion corn puffs: I purchased these Japanese onion-flavored corn puffs from the Japanese market Midoriya next to Union Square in Manhattan. I was attracted to its cute packaging, which seemingly depicts father-son bonding, but on closer inspection, it appears the father is digging the son up with a shovel. This possible potrayal of vegetarian cannibalism is somewhat disturbing, but I'm more confused by the literal translation of the English label of "tamanegi santoro," which translates to mushroom onions (acc... (read more)3.5/5.0

Auntie Anne’s Sour cream and onion pretzell: Almost missed my flight to get this pretzel since they needed 10 minutes to “bake it fresh.” Surprised to find it’s actually the plain pretzels with a heavy coating of powdered seasoning. The sour cream and onion flavor was insane, with an ultra tangy sour cream flavor that had a sharp aftertaste like sweet onion. It was kind of like the coating on sour cream and onion Pringles except 2x more concentrated. The pretzel was very buttery but had a nice soft texture. Actually pretty good for an... (read more)3.5/5.0

Cheeseboard Bialy: I’m tying to reduce my carb intake (which has drastically reduced snacking). But one morning, I woke up to find I didn’t have running water in my apartment and, giving up on low-carb life for a bit, I went to Cheeseboard for breakfast. I always find the savory breads at this Berkeley institution are better than their sweet baked goods. This bialy was especially satisfying after not having any bread for a while. Tasting strongly of garlic and sprinkled with poppy seeds, the round bread has a ... (read more)4.0/5.0

Nongshim Onion Flavored Rings: I mostly know Nongshim for their portfolio of ramen noodles, but I heard good things about their snacks, and these onion rings did not disappoint. The snack has a savory yet sweet onion flavor that tastes much more true to a vidalia onion than Funyuns. Texturally, they’re crunchy yet light and yielding. It’s definitely not healthy, but it’s a junk food that’s worth the calories. I purchased them at Berkeley Bowl, which doesn’t stock unhealthy snack brands, so I didn’t feel too bad about eati... (read more)3.5/5.0

Dang Chipotle Garlic Onion Chips: Berkeley-based snack company that uses whole caramelized sliced onions, crisps them so they're almost chip-like but much lighter in texture, and seasons them for additional flavor. Prominent sweet onion taste without the heaviness of additional cornmeal or flour (like Funyuns or other onion ring-like snacks). Chips at the top of the bag had just a hint of smoke and spice, but those on the bottom were more robust, so shaking may help distribute the coating. Few servings in a bag and kind ... (read more)3.5/5.0

Good Crisps Sour cream and onion potato crisps: Blatantly mimicking a popular product whose heyday likely passed in the late 90s, this tube of potato crisps takes a gmo- and artificial-flavors-free approach to junk food. It's a less salty but otherwise uncannily familiar flavor, down to the curved shape, crispy texture, and classic sour cream and onion flavor. You would think there might be patents to cover these signature attributes, but Good Crisps has somehow gotten away with it. The result is a product that has a 1.5x markup from its ... (read more)3.5/5.0